Beer-dispensing apparatus.



P. SGHNEIBLE.

BEER DISPENSING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1914.

L1 3mm Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

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W WW m THE NORRIS PETERS CO., PHOTC-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. Q

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raann scriNniBLn, or" ivnw'YonK, N. in, ASSIGNOR 'ro canr. A.scI-rnEIBLn, OFNEW YORK, 1v. Y.

BEER-DISPENSING APPARATUS.

iasaaoa Specification of Letters Patent. Patented ltfia r, 3(1), 1915.,

Application filed April 7, 1914. Serial No. 830,128.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK SoHNEIBLn, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Manhattan of the city of New York, in thecounty of New York, in the State of New York, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Beer- Dispensing Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

This invention relates to an improved system for dispensing beer orother liquids in the dispensing of which there is encountered thisdifficulty, that when the source of sup ply is exhausted or aboutexhausted, foam, and other undesirable substances carried by the liquidare drawn into the receiving receptacle. The invention is concerned notonly with the improved system by which it becomes impossible for suchfoam, etc., to be drawn into the receiving receptacle such as, forinstance, a glass, but also with the apparatus in which the system isemployed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide such an apparatuswhich is relatively simple in construction and easy of manipulation and,during the withdrawal of the beer from a source of supply, such as akeg, is automatic in its action to prevent positively the passage offoam from the source of supply to the glass.

A further object of the invention is to embody in the approved apparatussuitable devices to permit ready disconnection of one source of supplytherefrom and the introduction into the system of another source ofsupply. These last named devices furthermore permit all foam, etc., tobe discharged from the system through a suitable exhaust vent before thefresh beer from the new source of supply is passed to the glass.

The invention will be described more particularly with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a view in vertical sectionof the improved apparatus by which the invention may be practised, thesource of supply and the dispensing conduit being indicated. Fig. 2 is afragmentary view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 showing the controlling switch in position to permit the tapping of a new keg.

The improved apparatus includes a float chamber which may be composed ofa cylinder a of glass or other material having united therewith a top 6and a bottom 0 through threaded engagement respectively with collars band c encircling the cylinder a and engaging respectively annularflanges 79 and 0 formed adjacent the ends of the cylinder. Interposedbetween the cylinder 0; and its ends I) and 0 may be placed suitablewashers d to insure a fluid tight connection. Within the float chamberabove described is a cylindrical float 6 adapted to move freely in anaxial direction within the float chamber and provided interiorly with acircular passage e to permit the flow therethrough of the fluid to bedispensed, as will hereinafter appear. On the bottom of the float issecured a spider f on the lower end of which is mounted a valve 9,prefer ably of some yielding material, which may be removably secured tothe spider by means of a screw g. For the purpose of holding the valve 9in position and to guide the same in its travel to its seat, there isprovided a sleeve in which is in threaded engagement with the spider fand has formed on its lower end a circular flange h to embrace thebottom of the valve 9 adjacent its periphery. Formed integral with thebottom 0 of the float chamber is an inwardly extending sleeve 0 and anoutwardly extending sleeve 0 in substantial alinement with each otherand through which the beer may flow from the float chamber to .thedispensing system as will appear later. On the upper end of the sleeve 0the valve 9 is adapted to seat when the beer is so far exhausted fromthe float chamber as to permit the float to drop and bring the saidvalve on to the sleeve 0 In this connection, it is to be notedparticularly that the flanged sleeve la is of such internal diameter asto permit its free passage over the sleeve 0 Interposed between thesource of supply, such as a keg, connected with the supply pipeindicated at i, and the float chamber, and interposed between the floatchamber and the discharge or dispensing pipe is, is a valve, indicatedgenerally by the reference character Z, in which is a rotatable plug mto control the five passages leading from the said valve as will now bedescribed. From the valve Z extends a connecting pipe a communicatingwith the upper part of the float chamber through a" passage 6 formed inthe top wall I) of the chamber. Communi eating withthe sleeves 0 and cor discharge passage in the bottom wall 0 of the float chamber is a pipe0 which is also connected tomwall dot the. float chamber is placed incommunication, through the pipe 0 and pas sage jm, inthe plugm, withthedispensing pipeflls. .V/ henbeer'is withdrawn fromthe dispensingpipe.icthroughthe usual control faucet,;.it is also. withdrawn ofcourse,.from thefloat chamber and. the float e tends to.

fall as. the level ofthe. beer. falls. However, coincident Withthis.flow. of beer from the float fcham'ber, av fresh. supply. inflowsconstantly .throughlthe pipenand maintains the level .of.,the.beerwithin the float. chamber substantially uniform. 'To facilitatethe freeinflow of, beer into. thefupper portion of the float chamber Without.subjecting the float e tothe. pressure of such inflowing beer, the

central. passage 1 throughthe float is flaredv outwardly at its upper.end as. at e .andsuch.

flared portion, is .maintained .in substantial alinel nent with 1 the.passagebt Assumingnow that the. beer. is. exhausted from the. keg, ,as.is .the condition illustrated in.Fig..1,- it will. be evident thatcontinued withdrawal of beerfrom the dispensing pipe.

and float chamber. will result. inthe. lowering ofthe. beer level in thefloat chamber and a drop. of, the. float .e to .an extent. suflicient toseat. the. valve. 9 and prevent further out.-. fiowuofvthebeeru When.the valve 9 is seated it will. be. observedthah. by reasonof. theheight ofthe spiderj .a beer trap always remains in thefloat chamber.tov prevent the flow of foam, etc,,.' from the .empty beer kegthroughthe connecting passages to the dis.-.

'pensingpipe When the system is. in the condition illustrated. in. Fig.1 the supply pipes. from theempty. beer .keg and the greaterpart of thefloat chamber are filled Withair and foam, but this. air. and foamcannot ;floW. .through to the receiving re-. ceptacle and so destroythequality of the beer last. dispensed .or 'to be dispensed. After ,theempty ,keghas been discon-.

nected fromthe supply pipe 2' a fresh keg. may be tappedon'tosaidpipebut if they fresh beer were. permitted to flow imme diatelyfrom..this fresh keg,.throu h the pipe nandthefloatchamber intot 1edispensing pipe J0, it. is. evident. that it. would carry before it allofthe entrapped air and foam and the first fewglasses of beer dispensedwouldbe of such quality as .to render them unfit for serving. It is thiscondition which now obtains in systems generally in use and which it isone of the primary objects of this invention to overcome. In accordancev with the invention embodied in the improved apparatus, the plug m, isturned to the positionillustrated in Fig. 2 before the new keg is tappedon to the supplypipez', thuseutting oil the dispensing pipe is fromevery portion of the system and placing the supply pipe in communicationwith-the lower. portion of the float chamber throughthe passage m andconnecting pipe 0. When the plug m is thus positioned the otherpassage mtherein ismoved to place the pipev n. in communication with an exhaust'.vent Z formed in the valve Z. The fresh beernow. flows upward into thefloat chamber so as to raisev the valve 9 from its seatand thisflowuoffresh, beer continues until the float chamber is entirely filledwith beerand all of theair formerly entrapped in the said chamber isforced into the pipe 01. The continued inflow of. fresh .becr carries itonthrouglrthe pipe. 01, thus forcing the entrapped air out-through theexhaust vent Z, untilthe beer. itself is vented through the saidenhaustZ. lhe attendant in control of the apparatus. at this. time turns. theplug on so as to place the. system in its normal di s pensingcondition,that. is to say, with. the

freshrkeg in communication.with the inflow pipe. n .and the float.chamber in communicationwith the dispensing. pipe 70. It will beevident, that the continucd dispensing ofthc beer will notmesult in thewithdrawal of any air, orthe like, inasniuchas all of such obnoxiousele1nent s.,.have been exhausted from the system inthe manner described.

From the. description .given it will be evidentthat when the valve 9 isseated as illustrated in Fig. 2,. no beer can be drawn through the.system from the. beer keg until after the. controlling plug 922.. hasbeenpositionedin the .valvein the. manner illustrated whereby beer ispermitted to flow into the .chambera beneath the float andraisethefvalve g fronrits seat. If. it were attempted. to passfr.esh..beer through. the

pipen .and into the. float. chamber when the valve gisseated,thepressureof air in the float chamber would be such as to render theentire. apparatus inoperative and to .maintainthevalve g .on its seat.

Other apparatus thanthat herein illustratedinay. be employed to bringabout the automatic .checkingofthebeer flow when the keg is exhaustedand to necessitate a reverse, flow of. beer from the fresh keg throughthe system before the parts are restored to normaloperating condition,vand all such apparatus are to. be deemed within. the scope of thisinventionprovided they accomplish the desired results pointed out hereinand fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. Apparatus for dispensing beer or the like,comprising a supply pipe, a discharge pipe, a float chamber normallyinterposed between the source of supply and the dis charge point, afloat within the chamber, means controlled by the float to checkautomatically the flow of beer to the discharge point before the supplyis exhausted, and means for establishing separate communication betweenthe supply and the float chamber to permit the inflow to the chamber offresh beer when the supply is replenished.

2. Apparatus for dispensing beer including a supply pipe and adispensing pipe interconnected by passages, a float chamber interposedin said connection to check automatically the flow of beer before thesupply is exhausted and a valve with which said passages connect, saidvalve permitting the source of supply to be connected to the floatchamber through one of two independent passages and controllingcommunication between the float chamber and the dispensing pipe.

3. Apparatus for dispensing beer or the like, comprising a supply pipe,a discharge pipe, a float chamber interposed normally between the supplypipe and the dispensing pipe, a valve controlled by said float forautomatically checking the flow of beer before the supply is exhausted,a valve to place the supply in direct communication with the beer in thefloat chamber subsequently to the checking of the flow to restore thevalve to normal position and exhaust the air from the float chamber andits connections, said valve being operable to restore the apparatus tonormal operating conditions.

4:. Apparatus for dispensing beer or the like, a float chamberinterposed between the source of supply and the dispensing pipe, a floatwithin the chamber to cut off communication between the supply and thedispensing pipe before the supply is exhausted, and means to dischargethe contents of the apparatus before re'elstablishing normalcommunication between the fresh supply and the dispensing pipe.

5. Apparatus for dispensing beer or the like, comprising a supply pipe,a discharge pipe, a float chamber interposed between the source ofsupply and the dispensing pipe, a float within the chamber operable tostop automatically the flow of beer when flopies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the the level of the beer inthe chamber falls to a predetermined degree, a valve operable to placethe float chamber in communication with the supply when replenished andwith an exhaust vent whereby upon the flow of fresh beer into thechamber the contents therein and the connections thereto will be vented,and connections controlled by the valve for reestablishing communicationbetween the float chamber and the dispensing p 6. Apparatus fordispensing beer or the like, comprising a supply pipe, a discharge pipe,a float chamber interposed between the source of supply and thedispensing pipe, a float within the chamber operable to stop the flow ofbeer automatically when the level of the beer in the chamber falls to apredetermined extent, and a valve operable to place the float chamber incommunication with the supply when replenished and simultaneously withan exhaust vent whereby upon the flow of fresh beer into the chamber thecontents in the chamber and the connections thereto will be dis charged,said valve being operable to reestablish communication between the floatchamber and the dispensing pipe and to cut off said exhaust vent.

7. Apparatus for dis ensing beer or the like, comprising a supp y pipe,a discharge pipe, a float chamber, a connection to the upper end thereoffrom the source of supply, a connection from the lower end thereof tothe dispensing pipe, means to place the lower end in communication withthe source of supply, means for placing an exhaust vent in communicationwith the upper end of the float chamber, said means in cluding a valveto control all of said connections, a float within the chamber having apassage therethrough to permit the free flow of beer, a spider carriedon the float, and a valve carried by the spider and controlling theoutflow passage from the chamber whereby when the beer level falls thefloat will seat the valve before the supply of beer is exhausted thusforming a beer trap, the valve permitting the subsequent connection ofthe fresh supply with the outflow passage of the chamber to unseat thevalve and permit reverse flow of the fresh beer through the system toexhaust the entrapped contents.

This specification signed and witnessed this second day of April A. D.,1914.

FRANK SOHNEIBLE. Signed in the presence of- E. M. TAYLOR, WORTHINGTONCAMPBELL.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. U.

